EXPERIMENT NO.

DYE PENETRATION TEST

INTRODUCTION:

Dye penetrant testing is done to reveal open surface flaws such as cracks on the surface of all
nonporous materials. Dye penetrant testing can detect cracks, chips, porosity, pits, etc. on parts at
different stages of production, when preparing welds and during welding. Dye penetrant testing
can detect metal fatigue (fatigue cracks, etc.), pits, etc. in installations in service.

A liquid, the penetrant, is applied to the surface of the material. The penetrant infiltrates the
surface flaws. The developer then reveals the places where the penetrant has crept into the
surface flaws. This makes it possible to reveal cracks that are only 0.00005 mm wide.

The surface to be inspected must not be porous or painted. The surface must be clean and only
have a low degree of roughness. That is why it should be checked that it is not clogged by dirt,
foreign bodies and material overlaps. The method can be used for open discontinuities. The
method is applied to parts at a temperature between 5 and 50C.

Standards

ASME standards, European standards or other national standards.

Target group and applications

This service is for all types of customers for the inspection of materials, parts in production and
equipment in service. Not suitable for parts that have been sandblasted or shot-blasted.

Advantages of this service

Simple inspection method requiring good visual expertise however

It can be done anywhere: thus it does not necessarily have to be done in a laboratory
This technique can be used for all non-porous materials
 Does not require substantial equipment
Possible to reveal cracks only 0.00005 mm wide

Liquid penetrant testing is one of the oldest and simplists NDT methods where its earliest
versions (using kerosene and oil mixture) dates back to the 19th century. This method is used to
reveal surface discontinuities by bleedout of a colored or fluorescent dye from the flaw. The
technique is based on the ability of a liquid to be drawn into a "clean" surface discontinuity by
capillary action. After a period of time called the "dwell time", excess surface penetrant is
removed and a developer applied. This acts as a blotter that draws the penetrant from the
discontinuity to reveal its presence.

The advantage that a liquid penetrant inspection offers over an unaided visual inspection is that it
makes defects easier to see for the inspector where that is done in two ways:

It produces a flaw indication that is much larger and easier for the eye to detect than the flaw
itself. Many flaws are so small or narrow that they are undetectable by the unaided eye (a person
with a perfect vision cannot resolve features smaller than 0.08 mm).

It improves the detectability of a flaw due to the high level of contrast between the indication
and the background which helps to make the indication more easily seen (such as a red indication
on a white background for visable penetrant or a penetrant that glows under ultraviolate light for
flourecent penetrant).

Penetrants are carefully formulated to produce the level of sensitivity desired by the inspector.
The penetrant must possess a number of important characteristics: - spread easily over the
surface of the material being inspected to provide complete and even coverage. - be drawn into
surface breaking defects by capillary action. - remain in the defect but remove easily from the
surface of the part. - remain fluid so it can be drawn back to the surface of the part through the
drying and developing steps. - be highly visible or fluoresce brightly to produce easy to see
indications. - not be harmful to the material being tested or the inspector. Penetrant materials are
not designed to perform the same. Penetrant manufactures have developed different formulations
to address a variety of inspection applications. Some applications call for the detection of the
smallest defects possible while in other Introduction to Non-Destructive Testing Techniques
Liquid Penetrant Testing Page 5 of 20 applications, the rejectable defect size may be larger. The
penetrants that are used to detect the smallest defect will also produce the largest amount of
irrelevant indications. Standard specifications classify penetrant materials according to their
physical characteristics and their performance.

Developers

The role of the developer is to pull the trapped penetrant material out of defects and spread it out
on the surface of the part so it can be seen by an inspector. Developers used with visible
penetrants create a white background so there is a greater degree of contrast between the
indication and the surrounding background. On the other hand, developers used with fluorescent
penetrants both reflect and refract the incident ultraviolet light, allowing more of it to interact
with the penetrant, causing more efficient fluorescence. According to standards, developers are
classified based on the method that the developer is applied (as a dry powder, or dissolved or
suspended in a liquid carrier). The six standard forms of developers are:

Form a - Dry Powder

Form b - Water Soluble
Form c - Water Suspendable
Form d - Nonaqueous Type 1: Fluorescent (Solvent Based)
Form e - Nonaqueous Type 2: Visible Dye (Solvent Based)
Form f - Special Applications

MATERIALS:

Dye Penetration Test Kit

Welding Machine
Welding Rod
Flat Bar :
1/2 x 6 x 2
3/8 x 6 x 2
1/4 x 6 x 2

SAMPLE PICTURES:
 DYE PENETRATION TEST KIT
WELDING MACHINE

FLAT BARS
WELDING ROD